Hertta-Maria Amutenja
The Mineworkers Union of Namibia’s (MUN) secretary general, George Ampweya has attributed the union’s current difficulties to internal divisions and factionalism, which he says are undermining the organisation’s work.
Speaking to the Windhoek Observer, Ampweya identified ongoing infighting, which he believes is driven by loyalties to former union leaders, as a major challenge.
“The problem I am picking up is that there are a lot of issues coming from the region, the infights and loyalty to specific individuals. There are several alliances that want to tarnish the reputations of individuals currently in office,” Ampweya said.
The issue came to light after allegations circulated on social media, accusing the MUN leadership of inflating quotations for renovations at the union’s Arandis office.
According to the union, these claims were made by Milton Augumeb, who issued a statement accusing the national executive committee of corruption.
However, MUN dismissed the allegations, describing them as “devoid of fact and lacking in integrity.”
Ampweya clarified that the Arandis Town Council’s fitness inspection, which revealed problems like a lack of fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and damaged signage, came well before the decision to renovate the Arandis office and the MUN head office.
According to Ampweya, the national executive committee (NEC) had already approved the renovations in December 2023.
“When the region got the council’s report on the inspection, we told the region that the renovation process was in the pipeline, and we plan on renovating the entire building,” Ampweya said.
Ampweya emphasised that the renovations had already started and were part of a broader effort by the new leadership to improve the union’s infrastructure.
“Amongst our resolutions is renewing our entire fleet of vehicles because the last time we got vehicles was probably 15 years ago, and those are changes as the new leadership that we would like to take in,” he explained.
In response to the allegations, the MUN released a statement on 19 September, refuting Augumeb’s claims.
The union explained that they commissioned Pilot Investments CC, a contractor already working on renovations at the MUN head office, to expand their scope of work to include the Arandis office.
MUN said they planned to carry out the work in phases and agreed upon flexible payment terms. He denied the claim that quotations were inflated for personal gain.
“It is an outright fallacy to suggest that the quotations were intentionally inflated to benefit individuals, as the two quotations clearly indicate the scope and extent of work quoted for,” read the statement.
Quotations seen by Windhoek Observer indicate that Pilot Investments CC quoted over N$ 200 000 for extensive renovations at the Arandis office, including painting, ceiling installation, and repairs to the boundary wall.
In contrast, other companies, PMD Building Materials CC and EXXACT INC, provided much lower quotes of more than N$ 16 000 and N$ 26 000, respectively, for more limited work.
In a separate letter dated 10 April 2024, the Arandis Town Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Norris, informed the MUN that the Arandis office had failed a fitness inspection due to several deficiencies, including the lack of fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and a damaged ceiling board.
